


Stranger Is the Night

by The_Renegade



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 80's Music, Alcohol, American Football, American Politics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Demogorgon (Stranger Things), Bad Flirting, Bad Jokes, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Canon-Typical Violence, Complicated Relationships, Couch Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dancing, Danger, Deviates From Canon, England (Country), Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fights, Fist Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Girls with Guns, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Gun Violence, Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, I'm back, Lies, London, Long, Love Triangles, Movie Night, My First Work in This Fandom, Not Canon Compliant, Oral Sex, Poison, Protective Steve Harrington, Protectiveness, Reader-Insert, Romance, Sadie Hawkins Dance, Sex, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, Spoilers, Sports, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, The Upside Down, This sort of follows canon, Throwback, Travel, Wow, dad jokes, idk man, it's complicated - Freeform, just trying here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 17:00:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14815298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Renegade/pseuds/The_Renegade
Summary: Piper and her younger brother, Archibald "Archie" Evans have been thrust into the town of Hawkins, Indiana, from London, England, where they've been living with their father, their entire lives. But when their mother decides she wants to be a part of their lives again, the two are sent to live with her, in rural Indiana, far from the lives they have ever known, and thrust into a family they have never met nor understood. Her mother, Poppy Jenkins, lives three doors down from her cousin, Karen Wheeler and her family, which comes with an extensive group of friends. Piper never wanted this life, and that was even before things started to go bump in the night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at Stranger Things fanfics! Please let me know what you think. Also, obvs, none of the characters belong to me aside from the originals. I am not making any profits from this work, nor do I ever intend to.

_September, 1983_

Piper had never been one for small towns. She didn't like the quiet, the soft buzz, the way everyone knew everything about one another. She disliked everyone being up in her space, in her personal business, knowing everything there was to know about her. The thought of it simply made her feel claustrophobic, like she couldn't breathe. She missed the gray streets of London, the way it always rained, the way she could match her outfits with a pop of colour on her rainboots, and a large umbrella. She missed the busy streets and honking cars. She missed her dad, and her friends. She missed it all. At the very least, she had her brother here with her. Little Archie Wheeler. Her very best friend, confident. She supposed that made things a bit better, even though he was young. He didn't have time to remember all the things they were leaving behind. 

The city bus, the only one that ran through town, eased to a squeaky halt in front of the town movie theater, the Hawk. Piper stood up and smoothed out her short pencil skirt, tight to her thighs with a red plaid pattern on it, before tugging at the sleeves of her white button up top. It was a traditional blouse, but the eighteen year old had tied the front of it to expose a small sliver of her thin, pale belly. Her straight, cornflower blonde hair hung lightly over her shoulders, trying desperately to curl in the heat. She felt composed, she felt good. At least, as good as she could possibly feel when her entire world have turned completely on end. She would have felt better in London, at home. Who knew what the girls here wore. But she couldn't turn back now, the bus had already stopped, and the driver was giving her an annoyed look in the mirror. She grabbed her small, red purse out of the seat beside her and hung the thin chain over her shoulder, trying to keep her fingers from shaking with nerves. 

Stepping off the bus into the hot, summer sun, Piper immediately regretted not bringing a pair of sunglasses and rubbing on a thin layer of sunscreen. She made notes to always carry them with her later. She knew after a day of walking around, her skin was going to be tinted pink and warm as a grill. It was her own mistake though, she would have to take the heat. She glanced down the streets as the bus wheezed away from her, spitting out black smoke in its wake. And where was she going to head first? Not there were many places to head in this one horse town. The seventeen year old glanced up and down the streets before her eyes caught a small neon sign with the word "Hideaway" glowing, no, flickering, lightly in the sun. That, that was her destination. She had never met a bartender she couldn't charm into a beer or two. Right now, she desperately, painfully needed a beer

A cold beer on a hot day the week before she had to start attending school next week? What could be better? Piper picked up her pace and practically jogged down the street and into the small pub. It was cool and dark inside, and only one older man sat in a corner, milking his beer. A lonely bartender stood, rinsing out a small glass. He glanced up as she entered, eyeing her up and down. She knew he could tell she was only 18, but figured if she played "It's legal in London" card, that would do the trick. After all, she didn't have a driver's licence for America yet, only her passport showing her dual citizenship.

She sat down at the bar, tugging on her skirt to make sure too much of her thigh wasn't exposed, then she threw a megawatt smile at the bartender. "'Ello there! What's a girl gotta do to get herself a pint around here?" she asked cheerfully, propping her head up on the bar in her hand and batting her big blue eyes. 

The forty year old wearing a dirty plaid button up sauntered over, glancing at her. "You're not from around here, are you?" He drawled. "Let's see some ID." Her set a glass he had been cleaning down on the counter in front of him.

Piper pulled out her passport and slid it across the table. "Sorry, this is all I have. Still new to the States, yea? What do you lads have for a drinking age here, mate?" 

"Twenty one," The bartender replied flatly, looking at her passport and sliding it back, not about to take any of the young blondes shit. "Appears you're a few years too young to be in here, at least for drinking." He was not amused by her bright eyes and peppy spirit.

"Ahh come on mate," Piper pouted. "I'm of age back in England, yea? Can't believe you lot wait till twenty bloody one to have a pint, what tossers!" She laughed, really playing into it, even slapping her hand across her knee. She needed that drink, she needed to feel a cool liquid run down her throat, needed to let the alcohol buzz relax her into a state where she could function. 

The bartender sighed and grabbed a glass. "Just one beer. And it'll be our secret." He begrudgingly poured her a foamy cup of golden beer and set it down in front of her, a bit of the liquid spilling onto the bar beneath the cup. 

"Thanks, mate!" Piper said cheerfully, holding up her mug in honour towards him before taking a hearty sip. She let the cold, gentle liquid slink down her throat lazily, pooling in her stomach and spreading the cold around her body. She finally felt like she could relax into her bar stool. She was so busy enjoying her drink, she forgot to catch the bartender's name. She looked down at the half full glass. It wouldn't be enough to get her drunk, but it could probably give her the slightest buzz. Just what she needed to make it through a day in Hawkins, Indiana. 

She leaned back, imagining how much better this would be if she were in a pub in London with her friends, Trish and Bella. They would most likely be gossiping about who had shagged who that summer, who was better kissers, which lad had just gotten himself a new car. She would be relaxed, not sweating, feeling comfortable in her element. She would be home...She wouldn't be scared, she wouldn't be nervous, she would just be....comfortable.

But here, with her beer, would have to do. She sighed, closing her eyes and taking another long swig, before setting the beer back on the counter. Just the one, she wouldn't push her luck today. Then, she would go down to the local thrift shop. 

The chime on the door clinked lightly, breaking Piper from her daze. She looked up as a figure leaned onto the bar a few feet from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a button up, buttons undone all the way to reveal a white man-tank beneath, sleeves of his shirt rolled up three quarters of the way. At first, she wasn't going to bother looking over. She had no need to meet friends in a shady bar in rural Indiana. She doubted she would be staying here that long, anyways. The kind of guys who came into a bar in mid afternoon on a Friday weren't exactly the sort she wanted to be associated with. 

"Hey Mr. O'Brien! Can I snag a quick drink from ya?" the guy beside her called out to the bartender, who simply waved him off.

"Steve, you know I can't. Underage drinking is not something I feel like messing with today..." the bartender, Mr O'Brien, trailed off with a sigh, completely rolling over the fact he had just given one teenager a drink already. Best not push it with two. "But there might be a box or two out back with a couple beers left in them. Just...don't say a word." Piper was beginning to see it wasn't all that difficult to convince this guy for a drink. 

"Perfect," the guy beside her slapped a couple bills down on the table. "And, ah, hey, tell ya what. Put her's on my tab, too." 

That caught Piper's attention. Stopping her sip mid-drink, she slowly turned to look up at the guy beside her, meeting eyes with the most beautiful human being she had ever seen. Literally, beautiful. That wasn't a term she used to describe guys often, but he was. Like a sculpture. She was so surprised to look into the eyes, soft, gentle, understanding, of this complete stranger, that she almost dropped her glass. And he was staring back at her, a smooth grin stretching across his thin lips. "You don't mind me buying, do ya?" he asked her, propping himself up on that bar and studying her closely. "Also, have we met before? You look...familiar." 

Piper couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "I don't mind a bloke willing to pay for a pint, ain't nothing wrong with that," she replied, trying to keep her tone cool. What was it about this guy, someone she had never met, that made her heart beat like a jackrabbit? "And I don't think so. My name's Piper, Piper Evans." She held her hand out for him to shake. 

Instead, the young lad with the gorgeous, flowing, shoulder length hair cradled her hand in his, pressing the softest brush of a kiss to the top of her pale hand, looking up at her and wiggling his eyebrows. "That's quite an accent you got there. From across the pond, eh? It's a pleasure to meet you, Piper. My name is Steve. Steve Harrington." 

Piper blanched, the oxygen getting stuck in her throat for a second, causing her to cough into her arm, nearly up-heaving the beer she had just consumed. Everything around her froze. She knew that name, knew it too well. 

She had just met her second-cousin, Nancy's, boyfriend. And he was pressing his lips to her skin.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're...you're Steve Harrington?" Piper almost choked out the words. "No bloody way." She pulled her hand away and quickly chugged the rest of her beer. Lordy, she was in trouble. Of _course_ this was who Nancy was dating. Perfect, sweet, quiet Nancy, who could do no harm. Of course it was him. Thank bloody hell for the pint she had snagged, she needed to feel that buzz to keep herself from going and yarking every piece of food she had consumed into the toilet. 

"Is, uh, that suppose to mean something?" He asked hands on his hips as he grinned that lopsided smile at her. God, he had charms. And that hair, god that hair. 

"No, no, erm, no problem at all," she smiled back, sliding off her stool and wobbling just ever so slightly. Steve reached forward, placing a hand on her arm to steady her. "Whoops, sorry mate," she laughed, embarrassed. She always had been a nervous laugher, it made her seem like a git in the worst of situations. Should she have told him how she actually knew him? Probably. Was she going to? Absolutely not. Not right now. Nancy would tell him. At some family event that he was inevitably invited to, or at school, or somewhere. She just couldn't bring herself to say the words. Couldn't make herself say 'Hey Mate, you're beautiful and make my heart jump and you're also kind of dating my cousin.' "So, what's a bloke like you doing cheesing beer from a bar on a Tuesday?" 

Steve grinned, "Come with me, I'll show you." He waved at her to follow him out of the cool pub and back into the blazing sunlight. Stepping outside, Piper followed the boy with the beautiful hair around to the back of the bar, where a brown BMI 733i was parked. It was a nice car, the kind of car she would only expect someone pretty wealthy to drive. It was nice, shiny, maybe a couple years old. He put a key into the trunk and popped it open, before grabbing a box next to the dumpster and placing it inside. "The owner in there has always been pretty friendly to me, as long as I don't bring any trouble, he doesn't really mind leaving a couple drinks out for me."

"And what are the drinks for?" Piper asked, eyeing his trunk suspiciously. "Surely you're not going to go drink on this hot day all alone." 

"Pshh, no," Steve gave her a look like she was losing her mind. "I'm throwing a party later. You should come by, it'll be fun. And since you're new in town, you can meet some of cooler people of Hawkins." 

"There's cool blokes here, huh? Never would have guessed," she teased. "I'd be down for a good get together," she admitted, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her tiny ear. "But I don't know where you live."

"Oh, duh, one second." Steve said, leaning into the front seat of his car and giving her a pretty great view of his butt in those jeans, which she didn't mind glancing at. She knew she couldn't, but couldn't quite help herself. He was just so....so....she couldn't put words to what he was, but something about him drew her towards him in this impossible, magnetic way. "Here we go," he grinned, reemerging from his car, a small, blue BIC, twirling it between his fingers. He grabbed her hand once more, that tantalizing spark sizzling down her spine. She wondered if he could feel the electricity too, if that was what kept drawing him to reach for her touch.

Slowly, he methodically scrawled his address into her palm in blue ink, finishing the script with a tiny smiley face. "There, that's where we'll all be tonight. I hope I'll see your face there. Oh, and bring a swimsuit! It's still warm enough to get in the pool." Her heart was practically thrumming out of her chest as he spoke, barely even catching his words. She would figure out how to get there, one way or another. Her mother should be home from work by then, and she could probably borrow her car. It was an old '69 red Beetle convertible. Old, but reliable. And cute. She could probably borrow it and drive herself over. And if they drank too much, she could just sleep in the back seat until she felt fine to drive.

"I'll see ya then," she said in reply, giving him a coy smile before turning on her heal and walking away. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a tiny wave, before cursing at herself. She needed to get this under control. If she was stuck living here now, the last thing she needed was to be making enemies with her own cousin.


	3. Chapter 3

When Piper got home that afternoon, her mother and brother were gone, as was the car. A small note was tacked to the fridge saying they had gone to town to get groceries. Piper rolled her eyes. A good heads up, she could have just waited in town. Of course, Piper never enjoyed being the teenage girl with an attitude. It was so bloody cliche. But after being carted halfway across the globe, to live with a mother she didn't even really know, she was entitled to be a tiny bit upset. But maybe she could use that anger to get her to allow her to borrow the car that evening. It'd be perfect. 

And God, was she glad she didn't start school till the next week. She wasn't ready. Yea, she'd miss the first week of courses, but Nancy could catch her up. She sighed, hopping up the set of stairs to her room, throwing open the door to her closet, then cursing herself for forgetting the thrift shop completely. Had this boy with the pretty eyes and soft hair thrown her so far off her game that she forgot her plans entirely? Apparently so. This would _never_ have happened back home, where she knew her place, knew where she fit on the food chain. That being said...she was going to have to settle for wearing something she already owned.

But what did the kids in this small town wear? Did they dress quite as bold as they did back in the London clubs? Probably not, she figured. But what else did she have to choose from? She sighed and grabbed two hangars of clothes and tossed them onto the bed her mother had provided for her. Then she gently grabbed a jean jacket, overly large, belonging to her father, out of the closet and set it down gently on the bed. She had picked out an outfit she wore out all the time back home, a tight blue jean skirt and a cropped white cashmere longsleeve. She rolled the sleeves of her fathers jacket a couple times, then she looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad, but she'd have to tease her hair a bit or something. And figure out her shoes. Probably her high heeled sneakers. It would be very cute. Cute enough to turn heads, without being over the top. She wanted to make a good first impression, she needed to. She wouldn't survive here, all alone. 

She didn't overtly need Nancy knowing she thought her boyfriend was the most beautiful human being she had ever seen. That would cause just way too much family drama, more than there already was. She sat down on the edge of her bed, head in her hands, thinking this whole thing over for a moment. She couldn't just leap at the first guy she saw....especially when he was dating her cousin. The only other person she knew in this bloody town. And small town drama was the worst kind. Everyone here would know everything about her. She would ruin any chance she had of a normal life here, before it even started. Then again....maybe she could use that as an excuse to get back to her real home. There was no good answer, no right answer. Except, staying away from her cousin's boyfriend, even if that felt like the worst decision she could ever make. There was just....something there. When she felt that tiny bit of physical contact, it was like someone set off an electrical charge, an earthquake, a tsunami took over her body. She had never experienced anything like that before.

She curled up onto her bed for a moment, the mattress still unfamiliar. She pulled her favourite pillow tightly to her chest, smelling the scents of her old home. Vanilla, apple, fall scents from popery her father left laying about various areas of their flat back overseas. She missed it, and her father, and her friends, deeply. So deeply it hurt, it ached. She didn’t understand how a parent, who had never been any part of her life aside from her birth, and an incredibly brief childhood, could suddenly want her back. Piper could only faintly remember her mother being around when she was young. Distant memories of the scent of baked bread, singing Christmas carols together, and her mother trying to teach her ballet. Then nothing. Nothing but her dads sorrow over a messy divorce and hiding at the top of the stairs while they fought loudly over the phone. 

But here she was. All alone, in a home, where she felt so desperately out of place. She didn’t think anyone understood how weak being alone made her feel. Nancy sure didn’t, her brother didn’t understand, not in the way she did. And her mother definitely didn’t. Her mother seemed on top of the world to have her children finish school in America. Piper felt alienated. Like she wouldn’t survive without a facade of strength. No high school kids would let her survive if they knew she was afraid, if they knew she was alone. She would be eaten alive. 

She released the pillow and sat back up. She wouldn’t allow herself to cry. She hadn’t let it happen so far. She had to go to this party. She had to come screaming into this town, without a hint of weakness. She grabbed her soft pink fanny-pack off of the nightstand in her room and buckled it around her waist. Might as well sneak a handle of vodka into it before her family got home. 

The eighteen year old crept downstairs and rummaged around the liquor cabinet in the small kitchen until she found a decent sized bottle of liquor. Not the vodka she wanted, but rum would do just fine. Moments after she had zipped it into her pack, she heard the front door unlock. Sliding over to the kitchen island, she propped her head up in her hand and waited expectantly for her mother and brother to walk through the door.

“Hello sweetheart,” her mother grinned, holding grocery bags in her arms. She set them down on the island in the kitchen and turned to Archie, hands on her hips. “You’re brother and I made quite the haul, didn’t we?” 

“Looks like it,” Piper winked at her brother and Archie grinned. Out of everything, she would always indulge her sweet brother, lover of comic books and all things nerdy. She would protect his sweet side until it was inevitable, someday he would become a moody teen. Poor boy was still a shy little thing. Piper had felt like a mother figure to him, the only one there in his life half of the time. 

“On that note...” Piper trailed off, turning to face her mother. “I wish I had known you were heading in...I walked back from town earlier, thought you’d all still be here, ya know?” She frowned, tucking a strand of long blonde hair behind her left ear and then crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Oh sweetie...” her mum frowned, biting her lower lip. “I’m so sorry. I completely forgot. It’s still...different, having you kiddos around. Not that I don’t love it!” She rushed hastily, fumbling with the grocery bag in front of her. She didn't want her children thinking she didn't want them there. That couldn't be further from the truth. It was just...an adjustment. An adjustment for everyone.

“It’s okay...” Piper trailed off, knowing she had her in. There was absolutely no way that her mother would say no. Poppy Wheeler was too kind. Too kind for her own good, something Piper thought her brother had inherited from her. Too good, too pure. It made her feel bad, almost, for asking to borrow the car. But something...something silly like destiny maybe? Was telling her she had to be at that party. Something pivotal was going to happen that evening, she could feel it all the way down to her bones. "But speaking of," she started off, not really speaking of anything, "I met some really nice kids in town today, they invited me to a little getogether so I could meet some people I'd be going to school with. It's tonight. Is it alright if I take the car?" 

Her mother looked at her and smiled, almost proudly. "Making friends already? See Piper, I knew you would be just fine here." She leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Of course you can. Will Nancy be there? You could drive her, too," she slid the keys over towards her daughter like a peace offering. 

"Um, I'm not sure. Probably," Piper shrugged. "'Aven't really seen her about to ask, ya know?" she grabbed the keys off the table and stuffed them into the pocket of her jean jacket. "I guess I can, um, call her or something, if you think that's a good idea?" Piper offered a small bit of peace back to her mother. 

"I think that'd be a very good idea. Phone is on the hall by the living room," Her mother replied, as if to remind her daughter of the layout of the house. Piper rolled her eyes. She wasn't a child. She was literally quite legally an adult. But she knew her mother meant well, so she gave her a thin lipped smile and padded down the hall to the phone to ring the other Wheeler residence in town.

The blonde girl picked up the phone from where it hung of the wallpapered wall, holding the blue plastic to her ear as she punched in the buttons for the Wheeler address phone number. Poppy, her mother, had written it in small scribble and taped it to the bottom of the phone. It rang a few times, before a familiar voice picked up. 

"Wheeler residence, this is Karen speaking," her chipper aunt answered. In the background, she could hear the sounds of a happy home; children laughing and shrieking with joy, the sound of the TV on, a timer in the kitchen buzz. It reminded her of comfort, of her old home with her father.

"Um, hey Aunt Karen, it's Piper," she began awkwardly, twirling a piece of her blonde hair around her finger. "Is, um, Nancy there?" She hated that she sounded nervous. Absolutely hated it. 

"Oh Piper! It's wonderful to hear from you. Nancy is upstairs, let me get her on the phone," her Aunt replied giddily, happy that her daughter and niece were getting along. Piper waited patiently on the other line for her younger cousin to come to the phone. She didn't have to wait long before the line way picked up once more.

"Hello?" the soft, high voice asked into the phone, almost as if Nancy was unsure who was on the other line. 

Piper bit her lower lip, then spoke, "Hey Nance, it's Piper. I was uh, just wondering, are you going to that get together tonight?" she asked quietly, holding the phone closely to her mouth. Thankfully, her mother only had one phone line, so she couldn't sneak into some other room and listen in. "I got...I got invited and my mum is letting me use the car. I could drive us both, if you want," she offered up finally, before Nancy had responded.

"H-how did you..." Nancy began, before sighing, "Yea, um, I'm going. If you want to swing by here at 6:30 we can go together," she finished. Well, that was something. Piper and Nancy hardly knew one another. They had never met before Piper had been shipped over to this small town. No one had expected them to be best friends, even if their mothers had hoped for it. 

"Cool, babes, see ya then," Piper finished quickly, before hanging the phone right up. 6:30. That was in an hour. Just enough time to have a quick bite and do _something_ with her hair. Maybe hot curlers? She padded back into the kitchen and grinned, "Alright, Mum, I'm picking Nancy up in an hour, can we eat something real quick?"

Poppy was already hard at work over the stove, some sauce and noodles boiling. "Of course, this spaghetti should be finished in ten minutes and we can eat, and then you can get ready and be on your way." She smiled back at her daughter. "I'm so proud of you darling, I really am," she gushed, giving an affectionate, motherly look. "Now can you help your brother set the table and we'll get you out of here?"

Piper and Archie made quick work of setting the table, and by the time they had, supper was ready to eat. The family ate quickly, Piper slurping down the spaghetti and meatballs and dabbing her mouth with her napkin. "Alright, Mum, thanks for the meal. I'm going to go do my hair right quick and I'll pop on out of here." 

With not much time remaining, Piper simply brushed out her long hair with a round brush, giving it a little extra volume. Then, she slipped on her sneaker and bounded back down the stairs, the anticipation of tonight's events starting to bubble in her heart. "Bye Mum, Bye Archie!" she shouted as she spun around the corner, keys in hand and alcohol in fanny pack. 

"Be safe darling, don't drink and drive please!" her mother called out behind her, and Piper rolled her eyes goodnaturedly and then shut the door tightly behind her. The red beetle bug sat snugly in the driveway, calling her name. 

Strapping herself inside the vehicle securely, she backed out of the driveway and into the lamplit streets. The roads were already dark, sun set, and a cool breeze wafted through the car as she lowered the convertible top. She loved the feeling of the crisp fall air, sparked and moist, it was ideal. It reminded her of home, whenever it rained. The drive to Nancy's took less than a minute, being only three houses down the block on Maple. She cruised up to see Nancy standing outside on the stairs, hugging a bag tightly to her chest. Of course she was waiting. Always on time, was the vibe she had gotten the moment she had met her cousin. Among other things.

Nancy seemed perfect. She seemed to excel in areas Piper could never see herself doing well in. She was popular. She went to parties every weekend. She snuck out and drank (though, Piper supposed, she had never had to do any sneaking to do her drinking), she always knew exactly what to wear, and when. Piper, though elder, felt insignificant in comparison to Nancy's perfections. Piper was a complete git when it came to maths, and the whole "American" version of English was going to throw her off for sure. School had never been her strongest suit, nor had fitting right in with the popular crowd. Not that Piper didn't have friends back home, she had just needed to work for them. She had to work hard for everything, and everything seemed just so natural to Nancy. 

So of course she'd be the girl with her hands around Steve. Yea, he seemed a little bit posh for her taste, but there was just something about him...something she couldn't quite put her finger on. But Piper could feeling the jealousy monster nashing away at her stomach. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and threw a cheeky grin on her face. 

"Hey Nance, hop on in," she reached over and unlocked the door for her cousin, even though it would have been just as easy for Nancy to do it herself, with the top open and all. But she decided to be polite, as awkward a situation as this was. "You look nice," she smiled at her cousin as Nancy buckled her seatbelt over her pink v-neck sweater and tight plaid pants. 

"Thanks, you too," Nancy greeted back in a peace offering of sorts. "So, um, how did you get invited to Steve's party?" She asked quietly, also self-consciously, as she checked her hair in the car's mirror for the second time. She set her backpack onto the floor and Piper heard the distinct sound of beer cans banging against one another. 

"Um, yea, I actually just ran into him down at the pub today. Completely out of the blue. Didn't even introduce himself, just some bloke inviting a bunch of people over for some first week of school rager or something?" Piper fibbed, shrugging it off as if it were a completely casual and totally platonic interaction. Like he definitely 100% had not pressed his lips to the back of her hand in greeting. God, she felt so shitty for that. So shitty. Her cousin's boyfriend, of all people. Why did he have to be the one to give her those damn butterflies? 

"Yea, that sounds like him," Nancy smiled, nodding in approval, feeling more relaxed now. "Always wants everyone to have a good time, you know?" Piper didn't know, but she wasn't surprised. "Wow, he's sure going to be in for a surprise when we roll up together. Oh that reminds me! Please tell your mom thanks, for letting us take the car tonight. So much easier than running around in the dark." Nancy giggled a little, finally starting to feel comfortable in the presence of her cousin. Maybe this girl wasn't so bad afterall. Sure, she seemed a little standoffish at first, almost like she was "too good" for the likes of their small town, but Nancy chocked it up to just nerves (and she was right). 

Nancy gave her step by step instructions on where to turn, but the house wasn't too difficult to find. The house was _big_. Very big. Like bordering on mansion sized. Definitely bigger than Piper's mum's modest home, that was for sure. As they stepped out of the car and put the top back up, Piper could hear the sounds of laughter and music playing in the background. Queen, she was pretty sure. It was a little chilly now, outside of the car, and Piper pulled the her jacket close around her. She slipped her keys into her fanny-pack and pulled out the booze, showing it to Nancy with a grin. Nancy nodded in approval and held up her backpack as a sign that she, too, had alcohol with her. 

The two walked together up to the door of the house and Piper reached up, ringing the small doorbell, hearing the sound reverberate through the building, wondering where the rest of his family was. Steps pounded up to the front door and it was thrown open, and there he was. Steve Harrington, staring right back at her.


	4. Chapter 4

A smile spread over his face as soon as his eyes landed on Piper, and she felt it all the way down to her toes. It was noticeable, how long his eyes were on her before they moved over to Nancy. Did he feel it too? That inevitable spark, the thing that drew her to him so powerfully? 

“Nance!” He grinned, leaning down and giving her cousin a kiss on the cheek, which felt like a shot right to the heart for Piper, but she kept a smile on her face. “I thought you weren’t going to make it!” 

“Yea well, my cousin offered to give me a ride, and my mom wants us bonding or whatever, so it worked,” she grinned, smiling over at Piper as if she hadn’t just insinuated she didn’t want to spend time with her. Piper faught against the urge to roll her eyes. 

“Piper’s your...cousin?” Steve asked quickly, as if he were trying to put the pieces together in his head as he glanced between the two girls. 

“From the day she was born, yea,” Piper quipped, wrapping her arm over Nancy’s shoulder and kissing her cousin on the cheek. “ ‘ow lucky she is to have a cousin like me. Breakin her out of the house and everything,” she sighed, then held the bottle of rum out towards the brunette guy, “Here ya go. Party gift.” 

He took the bottle from her hands, rolling it over and grinning, impressed, “How’d you get this?” 

“My Mum doesn’t really mind me drinking. Legal back home and everything,” Piper shrugged. “I just took it. Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, if she does end up minding. Which I really don’t think she will.” It was true. Piper had plenty of experience drinking now to know how to handle herself.

“That is so sick!” He held up his hand in the air for her to high five. She obliged, the blue smiley face he had drawn on her hand smushing against his palm. “Thanks, Piper. Now let’s get you two inside, and we’ll give Piper the main tour.” He stepped aside, allowing the two of them inside the large front entrance. 

“No prob, babes,” Piper replied with a soft smile, then she looked around, soaking in the space about her. “Nice house,” she murmured, as her eyes traveled up the wooden banister that lead upstairs, then down a long hall that lead to who knows where. 

“You can thank my parents for that one, I just live here,” Steve joked, grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her towards the back of the house, Nancy following behind them. “First let’s meet the gang, then we’ll get to the rest of that.” Piper could feel the impression of his thumbs almost right on her neck and it was hard not to flinch at the skin to skin contact. 

She let him steer her through the maze of a house until they suddenly made it to a porch door that lead out into a back patio, where a group of kids gathered, beers in hand, laughing around a small fire pit. Further back, was a lit up pool. Piper was glad she remembered to tuck her swimsuit into her pack.

The group fell to a hush as Steve lead her through the door, and she was thankful for the dark of the night that concealed the blush on her cheeks. She was never good at introductions, at social situations. 

In front of her sat two girls and two boys. One of the girls was a brunette boardering on a redhead, the other had hair the colour of the night. The boys were a brunette and redhead, respectively, all and both wore letterman’s jackets. Great, a group of all couples. Piper immediately felt even more singled out, literally. It appeared she was the only single one here. 

“Guys, meet Piper, Piper, meet everyone,” Steve gestured to the group in front of him, before hopping down a couple of stone steps to grab a beer from the cooler in front of them. 

“Um, hey all,” she said quietly, giving a small wave and a smile. She really thought she would be more confident than this, but right in the moment, her nerves got the best of her. 

“Hey wait, is this the British chick at the bar you were talking about?” The brunette guy asked, eyeing her up and down like an animal. 

“You were talking about her?” Nancy asked as the same time Piper blurted out, “You were talking about me?” 

“All good things, all good things,” Steve said, raising his hands in mock surrender, “Piper, this is Tommy H. Don’t mind him. He’s just a little...upfront.” 

“Can you say something in your accent?” Tommy leaned forward, grinning at her, trying to say the word accent as if he had a British one of his own. 

“Umm...you’re making me right cheesed off?” Piper replied, the words coming out more of a question than a statement. 

Tommy laughed, slapping his knee. “That’s great. You’re going to be a bit at school!” Piper rolled her eyes. Perfect. She was going to be some circus sideshow. 

“Hey, cool it man,” Steve interjected. “She’s not some animal in a cage that you can ask to do tricks.” He turned back to her, giving an apologetic shake of his head. Piper offered him a small smile and a roll of her blue eyes. But she appreciated it, him coming to her defense like that. She didn’t need it, she could have shot out some snarky retort, but she appreciated it nonetheless. 

“Anyways,” Steve continued with a roll of his eyes, “You’ve already met Tommy. This is his girlfriend, Carol. And this is Zoie and Freddie, they’re not dating though,” he pointed at the girl with black hair and the redhead. Both of them waved over at her, and it was easy to decide she liked them the most of the four. Piper waved back at them, then stepped forward towards the circle, sitting down on a lawn chair beside Zoie.

“Nice to officially meet you,” the girl said, leaning over a whispering on her ear. She was wearing a plaid short sleeved sweater and a black leather skirt. “Steve really has been talking about you. Don’t worry, we won’t tell Nancy. But he was..very excited you might be coming,” She wiggled her eyebrows and giggled when she caught sight of Piper’s red cheeks. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Piper shook her head. “That seems silly. He was probably just excited about seeing his girlfriend.” That had to be it, honestly. Why would he be talking about her? Wouldn’t make a single piece of sense. “Anyways, best I stay in my lane when my cousin is involved,” she nodded at Nancy, who was taking a beer from Steve and laughing at something he said. 

“She’s your cousin? Interesting development,” Zoie grinned, taking a sip out of her beer can, and shaking it lightly side to side to determine how much of the liquid was left. “But really, it has been nice to meet you. I hope these losers don’t scare you away,” she gestured at the crowd in front of them. “Especially Freddie,” she joked, elbowing the red haired boy beside her. “Now, now, don’t be all quiet over there, introduce yourself.”

Freddie took a big sip of his beer, finishing it off, then wiped his hands on his jeans nervously. He held one large hand out to her and grinned. "Great to meet you, Piper," he shook her hand. His hand was large, enveloping her own, and warm. Gentle. And he was incredibly cute, if she admitted it. No Steve level, but cute, in an eager, soft way. Like someone who would protect her from harm. And his grin was addictive, the way it lit up all the way to his eyes. And his eyes, they were a caramel brown, only made nicer by the light of the fire to their right. 

"You too, Freddie," She smiled back, shaking his hand earnestly. When she dropped it, it felt as if she were missing something, as if a filled space was now empty. She smiled over at Zoie as well, but noticed her eyes were across the fire, on Tommy. Piper bit her lower lip, wondering what the history was there. She would find out later, if these two managed to stay friends. She hoped so. As offputting as Tommy was, Freddie and Zoie both seemed perfectly friendly. Zoie even reminded her of one of her friends back home, that level of smartness, cleverness, of sophistication without being too posh. The level of discomfort she had initially felt was starting to ease away.

Freddie grabbed her a beer from the cooler and the three of them sat by the fire, chatting and getting to know oneanother for a bit. The beer helped her relax a bit, settling into the chair she sat in, taking in her surroundings. The three of them chatted about school, about her move overseas, about sports. 

"We have math and english together," Zoie cheered, "All three of us, what a party. Steve is there, too," she wiggled her eyebrows at Piper, to which the blonde rolled her eyes. "And you just _have_ to join the cheer squad with me. It's super fun. Plus if the sports teams ever get to like. State or something, we get an excuse to leave school." 

"Yea, sure," Piper smiled, "That sounds fun. Think they'd still let me on even though I'm a tad bit late to the start of school?" She asked, furrowing her brow. Only downside of joining school late - a lot deadlines had come and gone when it came to stuff like that. Sports, teams, bookclubs, whatever. She may have lost her chance, this year. She still had senior year to go, though. 

"Well, given that I'm the captain of the team, I'd say so," Zoie grinned, reaching over and squeezing Piper's hand. "You've got a place, if you want it. Just show up after school on Monday in the gym, I'll have a uniform waiting for you there." She knocked her beer back, then squished the can between her delicate fingers. "Hmm, looks like we're all going to need another round..." she mused, looking at Piper as if to ask if she wanted another.

"I actually brought some rum, if you'd rather...?" Piper offered, nodding in Steve's direction, "Gave it to the bloke whose hosting our sorry asses when I got here. I'm sure he'd pour out shots if we ask nicely."

"Oh I'm sure," Zoie replied, grinning and getting up from her seat, sauntering over to where Steve was chatting with Nancy and Carol, leaving Piper and Freddie alone. 

For a moment, the silence was deafening in Piper's ears. it always amazed her how silence could be so loud. But then, Freddie broke it, like a pane of glass. "So, did you, er, leave anyone behind? Back in London?" he asked, looking her in the eyes and grinning.

"I mean, my father is still there, yea," she replied with a shrug, not really wanting to talk about her dad at the moment. Talking about him too much made her sad, and now that she was three beers deep, with the potential to do shots next, she didn't exactly want accidental waterworks happening. She didn't want to be known as the girl who cries at parties. She had never been that girl before, but she didn't want to take the risk of starting now, and shoot any hopes she had of making it through two years of highschool hell here right in the foot. 

"So no...boyfriend?" Freddie asked more boldly now, the grin on her lips spreading wider on his cheeks, and she caught exactly what he meant, now. He was asking if she was single. 

Piper bit her lower lip and smiled, "No, um, nothing like that. Came here all free strings, yea?" She brushed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear nervously. She was about to speak again, when a set of strong hands clamped down on her shoulders, squeezing and releasing a few times, like a small mini massage. While surprising, the pressure felt good. She hadn't realized how much tension had been growing in her over the past few days, and the stress had burrowed into knots in her shoulders. She sighed, closing her eyes and tipping her head back ever so slightly. When she looked up, Steve was standing above her, grinning like a Cheshire cat, fingers still kneading into her shoulders. "Stevie, babes," she cooed, "That massage was much appreciated. What brings ya over to our side of the fire? Did Zoie convince you shots were in order?" she asked, not seeing the deep furrow in Freddie's brow as the two talked.

"Oh, shots are most definitely in order," Steve grinned. "Figured we'd all roll into the kitchen and shoot a round, then you can get the rest of the tour," his hands were still on her shoulders, but she wasn't upset about it. He kept working his fingers against her skin and she had to keep her lips shut to stop from sighing in pleasure. Finally, he released his grip on her and held out a hand, helping her up. "I'll round up everyone else and we'll head on in," he gave her a quick grin, before jogging back towards Nancy, Tommy, and Carol. Piper noticed another girl had joined them, with short red hair and wide wide glasses. She had a sprinkle of freckles over her noise, like topping on a cupcake. Piper gave the girl a small smile when she looked her way. 

Piper and Freddie started walking back towards the porch door, when Zoie fell in step beside her. "See," she said, matter-of- factly, "Steve digs you. It's so obvious." The two girls glanced back over their shoulders at the others, Piper's eyes falling immediately on the boy in question.

He looked over at her immediately, as if he could feel her eyes on him. "Maybe," Piper sighed finally, "But that doesn't really change a thing, does it?"


	5. Chapter 5

As they all piled into the kitchen, Zoie made sure to pull Piper to her side, grinning at her like a cat. "Darling, it _does_ matter, just so you know. Steve hasn't had eyes for anyone in years, and then you walk in and." she snapped her fingers, and raised her eyebrows. "You have opened those pretty eyes of his, Piper." The raven haired beauty squeezed Piper's wrist, looking at her excitedly. Piper, while still uncomfortable, hadn't felt this sort of companionship in a long time. Even though the two girls had just met, it was as if they had known each other for ages, as if the support Zoie was giving her really changed the way she was thinking. 

Piper shook her head, because she couldn't make herself speak. The words caught in her throat as she watched Steve easily flip the bottle of liquor she had brought in the air, catching it casually then pouring out a row of shots for the lot of them. She tried to focus her eyes on the golden liquid which filled each of the tiny glasses, but she got distracted as her eyes landed on his hands, the hands that had held hers only just earlier that day. They were large and smooth, elegantly handing each shot glass as if it were a gift. Strong, she thought. His hands were strong. 

She was so distracted she almost didn’t notice as he handed one glass of liquid out towards her. When Zoie nudged her, she came too, lurching forward to grab the glass. Their fingertips brushed and she lifted her eyes to his, and he grinned down at her. She could feel her cheeks starting to heat up and she quickly looked away.

Freddie nudged her gently from her other side nodding at her full glass. “Ready for that?” He asked teasingly, tilting his own shot back and forth in anticipation. 

“Born ready,” she replied to him with a small. She looked at Zoie and smiled at her too, glad they were both here tonight. Even if they didn’t know, they made her feel so much less alone. Like she would make it through this whole thing, after all. 

And then they were all raising their glasses to the center of the table, clinking them together before each knocked their respective drink back. The liquid burned like fire on her throat, but in the most appealing way. She licked her lips slowly, gathering every drop of the alcohol, letting it seer her tongue like little zaps of lightning.

"Alright, alright," Steven clapped his hands together. "The rum is gone, everyone back outside!" The group let out a chorus of cheers and began to file out of the kitchen area, towards the patio. Piper moved to follow them, when Steve grabbed her wrist from behind, tugging her back into the kitchen. "Hey," he grinned down at her, his brown hair styled just ever so perfectly. "Ready for the rest of that tour now?" His grin was hopeful, too hopeful for Piper to even be able to think about saying no, that they should just go back outside with the others. The liquid courage she had built up definitely helped. Helped her feel like she didn't need to let her nerves take over.

"Yea, sure babes," she smiled up at him, twisting her wrist in his hand, running her index finger up his bare palm until her hand was free from his grasp. She watched his eyes go wide for a second at the contact and she let out a little giggle, before slapping her hand over her mouth with embarrassment, only causing her to laugh further.

"It's cute, when you do that," Steve said with a grin, running his hand through his hair, almost lost in the way he was looking at her. But as if he remembered she was forbidden fruit, he snapped out of it. "So, follow me, and I'll show you the rest of the house."

He showed her around the remainder of the kitchen, showing her the restroom, the living room (including his childhood photos) and she laughed, enjoying the time spent away from the crowd, the _business_ of people. It was nice. She wasn't sure he understood, but it meant a lot. It helped her stay relaxed, calmed her nerves. It was dangerous, though, for her to be so close. She felt like a magnet, being pulled towards him, and she couldn't stop herself. 

As they moved to the bottom of the stairs for a moment, Piper stopped, staring up his softly carpeted stairway, and for a moment she was teleported backwards in time, across the ocean, to her father's flat. His stairs had the exact same red patterned carpet, the same wooden style railing. She remembered walking up those stairs as he called her to come speak with him in his office.

The memory washed over her like a cold ocean wave, knocking the alcohol right out of her system. She could hear him calling her upstairs and telling her she'd be leaving. And no matter how many times her father explained that she was the one going, that her mother wanted her to leave him and come back to her, it still felt an awful lot like he was the one really leaving. She took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat, as she hesitated. Steve noticed, stopping to look back at her.

“Everything alright?” He asked, pausing on the stairs, looking curiously down at her in the dim lighting. He extended a hand out her, asking her to grab it without a word. 

Carefully, she took his hand and climbed a couple stairs quietly, the only thing keeping her moving was the warmth waving out from his hand. The memory was still fresh on her mind and she tried to push it away, to think only of the handsome guy in front of her, his kind eyes, the gentle way his hand squeezed hers.

So she made her way up the stairs that felt like a mountain, felt like eternity. Felt like her past trying to drag her back home, drag up the memories of the sadness of seeing her father try not to cry as he dropped the two of them off at the airport, never to be seen again until a holiday of his choice. And, of course, there had been that needling voice in the back of her mind. What if there never _was_ a holiday of his choice? What if he had been just as eager to get rid of her as her mother had been to get her back? That was her fear. That was her monster under the bed. The anxiety that had always sort of been lurking in her life really just _latched_ on to her that day. From then on, she had needling little worries about everything. What if Archie died? What if she had left the stove on and the house burnt down? What if what if what if?

And the thought racing through her now was What if what if what if she fell for her cousin's boyfriend? And was it really even a what if? At this point, she could feel the butterflies coming every time the thought of him even came up. And now, here he was, leading her down the hall of their second story house, hand slipping over hers, fingers laced tightly together. Her heart was thrumming out of control and she was torn between running away and staying, staying forever. Staying with her hand laced tightly in his, right beside him. 

He opened another door and grinned, "Well, this is where the magic happens. And by the magic, I mean basically nothing," he shrugged, laughing lightly as she stepped behind him into his bedroom. There were white plaid curtains hanging over a large bay window, not quite covering up the firelight from outside. Pressed against the wall was a wooden bedframe, the bed itself having dark blue, almost grey blankets. He had a beside table with a lamp on it, a book resting beside it facedown, so she couldn't see the title. There was a poster for The Smiths on the wall and she looked over at him, eyebrow raised in playful surprise. 

Steve shrugged, a little bit of a blush on his face as he turned away from her, not wanting her to see. "Yea, I like music, ya know?" he shrugged again. "Not a ton of my friends get that, they've got all these other things they think are important. So I just kind of don't really talk about it." He looked at the posters then nodded towards a record player that was underneath his desk. 

"Well I think ya should," She said, leaning against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you like something that much. Whatever you think is important, it _is_ important, Steve. You don't need someone else around to tell you that." She meant it. Yea, sure, she was stressed about other's opinions of her all the time, constantly worrying she wasn't doing or saying the right things. But that didn't mean she would hide a passion of hers just because other people weren't passionate about it. She _wanted_ to know all the little things that he enjoyed, the stuff he did when no one was around. 

He turned back to her, hand open and reaching out, a lopsided grin on his face. "That's sweet, Piper, you know that right? Everything you do just seems so fucking sweet." She rolled her eyes but placed her small hand in his, and he pulled forward towards him in a quick move, and she let out a small gasp of surprise as they were suddenly face to face, her hands up against his chest, his nose mere inches from her own. She took a deep breath in, looking up at his eyes, searching them, as he stared back down at her.

Every inch of her brain was telling her this was very, very wrong. But her heart was telling her to stay, to not move a muscle, to let what felt so right be right. And her heart won over. She stayed, feeling the beat of his heart increasing beneath the weight of her right hand. 

Next thing she knew, their lips were colliding. It felt like fire, like taking those shots downstairs, but onethousand times more powerful. She felt a hunger she had never experienced before, as her hands slipped up into his hair, his winding around her lower back, pulling her closer so that there was no space between them left. Just skin and hands and kissing and all at once, the anxiety, the stress that had coiled around her like a snake, was gone. It was all gone.


End file.
